So there's a baby tropical spotted gar at a place Ik and he is in a tiny tank. I would love to buy him and wanted some info before I make a final decision. Maximum size, hiding places? Anything would be great. Thanks
Tropical spotted gar
- Thread starter Layne Conitz
- Start date
Gosh, I love gar.. but they are a bit of an investment in all kinds of ways. First off... gar jump. Just remember that. They can and will jump. Second, they are pretty voracious, and I love them for that.. but just be considerate when buying feeders. They should have decent coverage and a pretty balanced system (I believe there are exact requirements on here, more than I could contribute off my head). They are tank busters and they can get HUUUUUUUGE (Google search for some cool pics). They also live quite a long time (25 years or so)... so be prepared for the investment. How much experience do you have with raising large fish? I mean some people have a pond or even a converted backyard swimming pools. Give me some more deets and I will offer what I can. Also, make sure to take advantage of the site's resources. Good luck!
is it a tropical, spotted or a Florida gar? they are not tank busters but they do jump from time to time but it was rare for me. They can get to around 30" in captivity but most get 24" and growth drastically slows down at 16, 18". they are actually very docile except for the alligator gar
Fair enough. I had a spotted, one alligator and one potentially tropical. I noticed that tropicals have the heavy growth spurt you mentioned, and maybe I just lumped the attitude in with alligator. The jumping almost killed one of my fish, which is why I remember it so well.
Gator gars are an exception to all gar rules. they are aggressive, suicidal maniacs. Their growth slows down at the 3ft mark as well
how big is it now? is it 120 5ft length or 4ft length 2ft width? if it's a Florida, spotted, or tropical you should be good for that time frame
as far as I know, the gar will be able to reach 16-18'' in the next 1 year, then the year after that it can grow to 20-21'' in a good condition. Because your tank is 24'' wide, you can keep it for another 2 years as long as you keep the tank clean with great water condition. I've kept 3 (24,25,26'') spotted in a 110 gallon stock tank that is 53X36X20'' over the 3-4 months winter with 7 koi at the size from 14-24'' and there were perfectly healthy because I keep up with water change and make sure water is always crystal clear.
He is so unhealthy and needs a larger tank. Its sad to see and I want to take him home. So if that's the case, I'll get him today.